Digital Activism Matures: Communication Freedom and Social Media through the Prism of the Arab Spring

DOI: 10.5176/2301-3710_JMComm14.01

Authors: R.S. (Kip) Wotkyns III

Abstract:

The disruptions brought by the Arab Spring revolutions in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region have created a series governance challenges for authoritarian regimes in the region. This research uses narrative inquiry to examine the impact digital activism has had on the movements towards democracy in the MENA region. The participants’ work in journalism education receives additional consideration due to the restrictions on journalists prior to the Arab Spring and the uncertain space for journalists in the post-revolutionary environment. It is axiomatic that a democracy requires a free press to survive. The insight I’m offering is this: the equation runs the other way too. A free press (including social media like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) stimulates democracy. People who are better informed know what they are missing.